On May 16, the International Cricket Council announced the complete fixtures of the warm-up matches for the ICC World Cup 2024. The practice games will commence on May 27 and conclude on June 1. The main tournament will kick off the next day, on June 2. Meanwhile, three teams—New Zealand, England, and Pakistan—have opted not to play warm-up games. The remaining 17 teams are set to play the preparatory games.
A total of 16 warm-up games will be played ahead of the mega event. Namibia will play three warm-up games, the most for any team. The teams that will play two warm-up games are Australia, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, USA, Nepal, Scotland, Uganda, Netherlands, Canada, Papua New Guinea, and Oman.
Ireland, West Indies, and India will play only one warm-up game each. The reason India opted for only one practice match is that some of the Indian players will arrive late in the USA, as the IPL concludes on May 26. On the other hand, South Africa will play an intra-squad match on May 29, which means their squad will field two teams in the practice match.
India to take Bangladesh in the 2024 T20 World Cup warm-up match
Rohit Sharma-led India will face Bangladesh in their sole warm-up match of the 2024 T20 World Cup. The match is scheduled to be played on June 1 (Indian standard time) in the USA, though the venue has not been announced yet.
The timings are yet to be announced, but the match is expected to start at 8:00 PM IST. Both teams can play with their 15-member squads in this game. Following, India will play their first match of the tournament on June 5 against Ireland. All of India’s group games will take place in the USA.
Pakistan, England, and New Zealand will not play any warm-up games
England will host Pakistan in a 4-match T20I series commencing on May 22 and concluding on May 30. Thus, these two teams will not be available for the T20 World Cup practice matches. On the other hand, the Blackcaps have opted not to play warm-up games as some of their players are participating in the IPL, and they have recently played a T20I series in Pakistan. Also, some of their players including Devon Conway and Finn Allen are returning from the injuries.
